A Bizarre Love Story
by kunoichi023
Summary: Loveliness and innocence doesn't cover up her denseness and strong will to beat Uchiha Sasuke. Will she finally be able to manage to defeat him despite too much circumstances? Will Sasuke's obvious love be returned amidst her denseness? SasuSaku. AUOOC
1. Obvious Feelings

**Warning: **OOC! I'd like to play with their characters for a bit. This time, it's not actually Sakura who will obviously fall in love but instead, she's the dense one and Sasuke's the one who is protective and all that. Lucky for him, though he's obvious, Sakura will still not get his different way of expressing love. hehe

I am really enthusiastic about this story because it has been playing around my mind for quite some time already. Anyway, I would like to share the ones who inspired me to do this. First, Ouran H.S.H.C which I just finished watching after a friend let me borrowed her CD's and Special A. I just finished reading the manga! I got most of my ideas from Special A. :)

So here's the story! I hope you will like it since I really enjoyed typing and making it. Reviews please! Enjoy!

* * *

**A Bizarra Love Story**

**Chapter one- obvious feelings**

Another day has begun and the sun seems so happy today. It is shining so brightly as if something good is bound to happen. The birds seem cheerful as well for they were singing a lively chorus in a language that they only could understand.

"_What a lovely morning," _Sakura thought and sat up from bed. She smiled to herself and stretched her long and slender arms. After that, she stood up and headed to the door, wondering what's for breakfast.

"WHAT??" She ran to check her calendar and started panicking.

Yes, the morning was so beautiful that she has completely forgotten that today is the first day of her last school year in high school.

"Crap, how could I forget?" She slapped her large forehead and quickly glanced at her clock, sighing after seeing that it was not yet late. "Whew!"

She went to the bathroom to take a bath and did her morning-before-school routine. Lastly, after taking her unusually heavy breakfast, she took a last glance at the mirror to check her appearance. She brushed a few strands of her pink hair away from her face and did a little more fixing before she smiled in satisfaction and went directly out of the house.

"Sakura, you left your lunch." Sakura's maid called before Sakura can leave. She was as usual, alone in the house with their helpers since her parents are working abroad.

"Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you. Ino's making our lunch today. Gotta go!" She went out and walked her way to her school.

_"What should I do? I should get a boyfriend soon before mom and dad could arrange a marriage to someone I do not know." _She lowered her head, wondering what she should do.

When Sakura went to high school, her parents told her that she needs to have a boyfriend before she graduates. The reason is because Sakura is an only child and she's the only one who would inherit their company. Meaning, if she doesn't get a boyfriend, her wicked and mean grandfather will let her marry someone rich for the sake of their name and the company. So actually, it was not her parents who were forcing her but her grandfather.

In their family, it has always been a 'requirement' to marry someone noble for the sake of their name that's why arranged marriage is pretty usual. In fact, Sakura's parents also married because of her selfish grandfather. Lucky enough, they already knew each other before that happened so falling in love wasn't that hard.

Now, just thinking about this is making her head ache. _"Can I just ask someone to pretend to be my boyfriend?" _She asked herself but abruptly changed her mind since she knew that her parents would eventually notice.

_"..but it's worth trying." _She smirked. "Aha!" She suddenly yelled.

"Know that I think about it, this is my last time to beat the arrogant, idiot and ugly Sasuke!" She whispered to herself and suddenly got energetic. She gave out a wicked laugh. _"Okay, maybe I'll take back the ugly." _She thought and started laughing wickedly again.

The Haruno's and Uchiha's have known each other for a long time. Due to this, Sasuke and Sakura have been friends, classmates and most of all, RIVALS ever since. As of now, Sakura has two goals: To get a boyfriend (which she thought is pathetic) and to make Sasuke will cry out of defeat!

At first, she thought she was smart and really gifted until she met Sasuke! He was always one step ahead of her and no matter how hard she tries, she can't win against Sasuke in any aspect. May it be academics, sports, ANYTHING!

So after she met the prodigy, her aspirations in life changed. _"I will definitely tear you into pieces this time, Uchiha Sasuke!" _She thought with so much determination. _"I practiced the whole summer just to beat you!" _She laughed evilly again. Now, speaking of the devil, she just spotted Sasuke from across the sidewalk, walking gracefully and calmly as ever.

_"Che, how could you be so calm when you know someone is going to finally beat you!" _She hated him for that. He was always calm, not that he wasn't working hard too. He was just cool and she finds it irritating because when everybody is trying hard, he would always look as if he would not need any effort.

_"Now you will see! I will beat you to school and for the first time, I will see your face in shock!" _She laughed inwardly and started to run to school. She was of course confident since Sasuke did not seem to see her a while ago. "I will arrive there first Uchiha Sasuke!" She ran and ran without even getting tired. "I'm here!!!" She gave out a dark laugh and wiped her sweat off from her forehead. "Finally, I won!"

"Good morning Sakura. You seem energetic today, what could be the reason?" A voice from ahead of her said.

"WHAT???? How did you get here first? I saw you!!!! You were there!" She couldn't believe her eyes. She saw Sasuke a while ago. He was walking and she was sure that she was ahead of him but now, he was standing there at the gate with arms crossed and closed eyes without even a drop of sweat.

"You ran didn't you?" She accused and pointed her finger at Sasuke.

"Oh, did I? I wonder, was I walking too fast?" He finally opened his eyes and gave a teasing look at her.

"Or you used a car, you cheater!!!" She said and went to Sasuke. "You're a cheater! You should fight fair and square!!" She was yelling something else but Sasuke didn't want to listen anymore. All her yelling was getting into his nerves.

"Will you tone down your voice?" He finally said with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"You cheated! You're unfair! I should have won……" She was sort of provoking him.

..More babbling..

"Aren't you going to stop?" Now he was really getting irritated.

"No unless you tell me how you got here first."

"You're not really going to stop are you?" He smirked and she did some funny sounds which caused his smirk to get even wider. "All right then," he said and leaned closer so he could touch her soft lips.

Sakura's eyes got really wide but that was enough to stop her nonsense babbling. After 3 seconds, he parted and you can really say that Sasuke was enjoying the sight before her: A shocked beautiful pink-haired girl because a guy kissed her. Not just that, he smirked even wider because of the whispers around him. Now you could really say he was loving it.

After getting enough enjoyment and satisfaction, he walked away, leaving the wide-eyed Sakura alone with a huge smirk on his face.

* * *

"What was that?" She asked herself and covered her face both from the embarrassment and the tears that are starting to come out. Her eyes were a little teary because of what happened. She actually wanted to cry because she was embarrassed.

She stomped her way to her classroom, ignoring the curious eyes around her. When she arrived, she hugged the first friend she saw: Naruto.

"Whoah Sakura you're red!"

"Naruto! That was terrible!!" She cried this time, not noticing that Sasuke was just beside Naruto. Naruto was a bit startled at first but he didn't mind, she was a close friend anyway.

"Hey Sakura, what happened?" He tried to ask but Sakura just kept on telling that it was terrible and embarrassing and all that. He glanced at Sasuke and when he saw that the Uchiha was twitching and narrowing his brows, Naruto grinned.

Naruto hugged Sakura back and laughed when Sasuke gave him a deadly glare after seeing that he was rubbing Sakura's back for comfort. Inwardly, Naruto was enjoying the look on Sasuke's face and at the same time getting amused at the unconscious affection the Uchiha is showing.

"Hey, dobe. How long do you plan on staying like that?" Sasuke finally asked when he couldn't take it any longer.

"What did you call me?" A vein popped out from Naruto's head and yelled at Sasuke.

"I called you dobe, bastard."

"What? You jealous jerk!" Naruto fought back. The two completely forgot about Sakura.

"Stop it!" She shouted when she let go of Naruto and that was enough to stop the two from fighting over something unnecessary, as if she wasn't trying to start a fight with Sasuke a while ago over something useless. She rubbed her eyes from tears and sat on her seat.

"Hey, I'm sorry okay? Just think of it as a gift." Sasuke definitely didn't sound sincere. Sure he did what he just wanted to do. Pervert. So in return, he received a punch but he immediately caught Sakura's hand.

"Are you going to forgive me or not?" Sasuke said, more like in a threatening voice while holding Sakura's curled fist.

"No." She plainly said. Her eyes were still watery and her nose still red.

"Then do you want another kiss?" Sasuke teased and there he was again. His arrogant smirk was again plastered on his face.

Sakura bit her lip and after a few seconds she said, "Kiss me and you will go to hell and even if you're already burning in hell I will still NEVER forgive you." She warned but again, he was smirking like crap.

He kissed her, again, and this time it was longer than the first. Naruto was holding his laugh back.

After the kiss, Sakura attempted to punch Sasuke again but of course, he caught her again. She was holding her tears. "I hate you!" Sakura said.

"Am I in hell now? I don't think so." Sasuke mocked and moved his face closer to Sakura's, making her almost fall out from her seat from trying to move away from him. "Are you going to forgive me now? Unless you want ano-"

He was cut off when she immediately said "Fine."

Sasuke laughed and Sakura was blushing and biting her lip, obviously holding herself from punching Sasuke's perfect face again. She knew anyway that he will just catch her. "Sakura!!" Ino ran from the door and hugged Sakura. "What did you do to my Sakura you pervert?" she gave Sasuke a threatening glare.

"I kissed her." Sasuke said, raising a brow as if wanting to tell her, 'is something wrong with that?' Now thanks to Sasuke, Ino was already surrounded with burning aura, ready to kill him anytime. "She already forgave me." Sasuke muttered coolly.

"What? You forgave a pervert like him?" Ino asked Sakura who looked like she received all the problems of the world. "I said yes but I didn't mean it." Sakura put out of her tongue and made a face at Sasuke. Sasuke just sighed and ignored the two girls while Naruto was chuckling and giggling alone as if he has a world of his own.

"What are you laughing at?" Sasuke who was getting irritated asked, but Naruto ignored him until he smacked the blonde on his head. Still, after being smacked, he didn't stop laughing. Has he gone insane?

"Nothing! I was just enjoying sending the picture of the two of you kissing to some people!" He laughed again.

"WHAT?" Sakura and Sasuke stood up and charged at Naruto who was laughing a while ago but know crying in pain.

* * *

"My, my." Kakashi said when he entered the room. Obviously, he is again their homeroom teacher and as usual, he was late. The grey-haired teacher chuckled at Naruto who was grumbling cursed words, Hinata who was comforting the just-abused Naruto and Sakura who was now stopping Sasuke from torturing Naruto.

"Did you run into a gang fight, Naruto?" Kakashi laughed and the class laughed with him.

"Shut up." Naruto said.

"Before I start, I heard some great news Uchiha and Haruno." Kakashi teased while some of the students were engulfed with mixed emotions. Some were making teasing sounds, some were whining and some, you wouldn't want to know.

Now, thanks to Kakashi, the two were blushing madly.

* * *

Lunch time:

"I prepared lunch for you girls!" Ino cheerfully said while arranging the bento boxes she brought to school. Sakura, Hinata and Tenten helped Ino with the preparation. The four of them were at their usual spot under the Cherry Blossom tree at the back of their school. When they were done arranging their lunch, they sat down and started to eat.

"Say Sakura, I received a picture from Naruto. Mind explaining?" Tenten waved her phone in front of Sakura's face. It was a picture of Sasuke, with eyes closed and smirking, kissing a shocked Sakura.

"You're blushing Sakura-chan." Hinata giggled but Ino protested. "That pervert!" The blonde girl cursed.

"It was embarrassing. He did on purpose and…" Sakura stopped and bit her lip. She was really blushing. She wasn't getting red because she wanted it and was happy but shy. More of anger and regret.

"And?" Tenten urged, wanting to hear what Sakura will say next.

"He did it twice." Sakura shyly said and got a giggle from Hinata and Tenten and a cursed word from Ino. "Twice? Okay, that I didn't know. That bastard!" Ino was really fired up today.

"Is that okay with you?" Hinata questioned Sakura who was still mad and at the same time, quite embarrassed.

"Well, I don't really care. Not that it meant something. However though, it was my first." Sakura answered. Tenten who was more experienced than the rest just sighed.

_"Dense."_

"Anyway, I've had enough. Let's talk about something else." Sakura gave a reassuring smile at them.

"Your cooking is really the best Ino-chan. These taste really good." Hinata complimented and Ino gave her a hug while the two other nodded in agreement.

"Did someone say food?" Naruto jumped out of nowhere and went to them like a dog.

"Hey, where did you come from you dog?" Ino grumbled and whacked Naruto in the head. "Hey, enough. I've had too many of that today already!" Naruto protested.

"Sakura, I promise. I only sent it to Tenten, Hinata, Shikamaru and Neji. Oh, and to Kiba too and to Chouji and Shino I think." Naruto tried to apologize but only received a sigh from Sakura. As if she could still do something about it.

Suddenly, Sasuke, Neji and Shikamaru came too. Neji gave a peck on the cheek to her girlfriend, Tenten while Sasuke and Shikamaru sat with the girls. "Hey, who said you're invited? This is a girls-only party!" Ino complained but soon gave up since the guys just ignored her.

Now Sakura was getting red again since Sasuke sat beside her. Everytime the eight of them eats, he would always sit beside her.

Sasuke suddenly grabbed a tempura from one of the bento boxes and started to eat. Ino just let the others eat since she already foresaw this. _"Bastard!" _She thought, eyeing Sasuke who was so serene and calm.

"Hey," Sasuke said to Sakura who was trying her best to ignore him. He sighed.

"Sakura, don't be childish!"

"I'm not talking to you."

"Sasuke, it was her first." Tenten finally said and sighed.

"Oh," was Sasuke's quick reply. "I already said sorry." He said after a few minutes. He just can't stand not talking to her and he hated it.

"Sasuke's persistent" Naruto whispered to Shikamaru and nodded at what he said. "I know. That's why girls are troublesome," Shikamaru answered.

"Why are you so affected anyway?" Sasuke still didn't stop _trying _to talk to Sakura. "I'm not. I'm just-" Sakura didn't know what to say next. "Why did you kiss me anyway?" She just asked unknowingly but Sasuke didn't answer. Oh, the Uchiha has lost his words. "You know Sakura," Naruto whispered at Sakura's ear but the others can perfectly hear it so it wasn't a whisper after all.

"What?" Sakura asked so Naruto continued. "When a guy kisses a girl suddenly, it means that.. Hey!" Naruto yelled at Sasuke who threw a shrimp at him. "Don't poison her innocent mind idiot." Sasuke angrily said while already readying himself to throw the other food he was holding to Naruto. "My food!" Protested Ino.

"I was only saying the obvious Sasuke." Naruto pouted and received a nod from the others. "Shut up." Sasuke looked away, clearly embarrassed.

"What are you all talking about?" Sakura asked, apparently, clueless. "I pity you Sakura." Tenten gave a pitiful face to Sakura.

"Huh?"

_"I know you are dense but I didn't know that you were THAT dense." _Tenten sighed and to Sasuke's gratitude, he still wasn't discovered by Sakura, at least. Now he wonders, will Sakura ever get it if what she was thinking now is just nonsense stuff like beating Sasuke to be first and things like that? Somehow, he feels relieved.

"Uchiha Sasuke!!" Rapidly, Sakura's mood changed. She was now burning with enthusiasm and was having a face as if she just thought of a wonderful idea. "I'm going to take revenge!" Her eyes were burning in flames and Sasuke could only sigh to this.

Technically, the whole rival and challenge thing was just Sakura's idea. He didn't care whether he loses or not though he admits that he enjoys getting challenges from her. Somehow, Sakura's persistence and view on things were fascinating to him that he didn't want to lose either.

At first he thought it was annoying and he concluded that she will get tired of these kinds of game someday too but seeing her try and try made him want to challenge her more. He just doesn't want to show his own enthusiasm regarding this thing. You know an Uchiha's attitude.

"Revenge?" Sasuke's eyes became glittery to the others view which made them get scared for some reason.

"Yes! Revenge!" Sakura answered with still so much passion in her loving voice.

"Does that mean you will kiss me too? Without my permission?" Sasuke smirked again, having a whole lot different concept of revenge in his mind from Sakura's view of revenge. The next thing he knew, he was covered with ramen noodles.

"You atrocious brat!!!! Get lost already!" Sakura roared in anger.

"Sakura!! My food!" Ino cried.

* * *

"I'm really sorry Ino." Sakura bowed, repeatedly saying her apologies to Ino. "I just got carried away!" Sakura bowed again but Ino just shook it off.

"Enough already," she comforted. "I would have done the same too, you know. That Uchiha is an annoying pervert!" Ino continued and Sakura just laughed. "I know."

"Now, you go inside now." Ino told Sakura and received an okay. She accompanied Sakura home since their houses were just a few blocks away. They gave each other a hug before Sakura went inside the house.

"Sakura-sama, just in time. Your dad is on the phone." One of their maids said and handed Sakura the telephone.

"My dad?" She asked obviously in disbelief and their maid nodded. "Well, thanks." Sakura said and their maid went away.

"Umm, dad? How are you doing?" Sakura said over the phone with an anxious tone. She cleared her throat so she wouldn't sound that uneasy. "Your mom and I are doing fine honey. How about you? How was your school?" His dad asked, surely trying to be a father. "Well, a couple of unusual things happened but overall, I am completely fine and healthy!" Sakura responded.

"Well, the reason why I called is because your grandfather is expecting to see you with you know, a month from now."

"WHAT? A MONTH FROM NOW? But daddy!" Sakura complained, finally taking back what she said a while ago about this day being lovely. Surely, getting a boyfriend is not as easy as picking something that fell on the floor.

"_Let me talk to her." _She heard her mom say to her dad from the phone. "Hello, sweetie?" She heard the voice of her beloved mom and she eventually felt 'homesick' or 'parents-sick' would be a better word to use.

"Mom! Why so soon? You said after I graduate!" She was nearly crying now.

"I'm sorry dear. You know your grandfather. He orders and we follow. Unless you would convince him that you have a boyfriend… but having a boyfriend is not just as simple as saying it. Dad is picky, you know him." Her mom's voice sounded really apologetic and caring.

"Mom, I don't want to get engaged to someone I just met!" Sakura's tone was like she wanted her mom to do something about it and for some reason, her mom got it. "I'm sorry Sakura. As much as we would like our daughter to be happy, we couldn't do anything about it. Oh, they are calling us already. We have a meeting dear, I'm sorry. Your dad and I will see what we can do. We miss you dear! We'll see you in a month."

"Bye mom. I love you and dad." Sakura was really feeling down now. She needs to find a boyfriend _who has already a name_ in one month? Or worse, she would get engaged with someone she doesn't know?

_"Me? Very young? Engaged? Why is this happening? How will I beat Sasuke if this is happening?" _She swallowed. She just could not put all the engagement stuff together in her head. She was still confused why she would need to be engaged so soon and to think that it was her own grandfather who wanted it.

"_Well maybe, I could just give my best this final exams so I would get a higher grade than Sasuke!" _So easily, her attention and thoughts were diverted when she thought about Sasuke.

"_..but wait! A MONTH? That's so soon!" _She suddenly remembered. Somehow, her thoughts are really disorganized that you wouldn't actually know what she was thinking because it would move from one to another every second!

"What will I do??"

* * *

There, chapter one finished! I hope you liked it! I will try to update as soon as possible because I want to make another story. Reviews please!

Just to make it clear, I wanted to make Neji and Tenten a year higher but when I read the chapter again, I realized that they're already in their fourth year so meaning, if I will make Neji and Tenten older, they would already be in College. Hehe. So in this story, they're in the same year as the others, but still older than them.

Thanks!


	2. Your Smile: A rare treasure

Here's the second chapter!

I just want to say that I might not be able to continue this story. I really like this but it depends. Also, I wasn't able to get much response about this so I am currently lacking some motivation. Still, I'll try my best! Reviews please!

* * *

The night when Sakura's parents called, she couldn't stop thinking about what she should do and what might happen. She stayed up the whole night, contemplating and deciding. She tried to weigh different options and she thought of the possible things that she could do and their possible outcomes.

First, she thought about her idea since a long time ago: Asking someone to pretend to be her boyfriend. Actually, Naruto was her first choice since he's the one who will most likely accept the offer but when she thought about it more, Sakura realized that Naruto would just probably mess things up. He might just blurt out some mean words to her grandfather and eventually, they would be found out. That means, twice the sin, twice the punishment so, never mind.

Shikamaru, being one of her closest guy friend, was her second choice but she thought that even if he would accept, it will be against his own will. He hates this kind of stuff.

Sakura thought about Neji too, since he's the one who's most likely near her grandfather's expectations but of course, he has Tenten and she didn't want anyone to get jealous or something because of her selfish acts.

After the three guys have been crossed out from the list, she thought about considering Sasuke. What came out from her mind was, _"Uchiha Sasuke is my rival! Asking help from him also means accepting defeat! I'll definitely not let that happen!" _So, he has been crossed out from the list as well, leaving no one else.

In the end, she just cancelled this option since she didn't want her friends to be involved in her own problems and to think that she haven't told anyone about this engagement thing yet.

Poor Sakura moved to her second option: Talking to her grandfather about it. After a minute though, she cancelled this as well for of course, it was too risky. She didn't want to see her grandfather anyway.

Now, this leaves her no choice. Her last option was to call her auntie and after thinking it through, she decided that this would be the best.

So that night, she called her beloved auntie, the sister of her mom, and asked for her help.

* * *

**A Bizarre Love Story**

**Chapter two- Your Smile: A rare treasure**

"Hey," Sasuke called Sakura who was just staring at her books, not doing anything. It was already their dismissal and since it's time to go home, she should have been already fixing her things. She didn't snap out from her thoughts even after Sasuke called her. Her friends exchanged looks.

"Hey, number two! I am calling you!" Sasuke smirked, expecting Sakura to go straight at him and punch him since 'number two' was like a taboo for her especially when it is coming out from her dear rival, Sasuke.

"Oh, sorry. Why?" She looked up and gave a questioning look at Sasuke which freaked her friends out.

"EH?" They all gawked.

"Did you hear that?" Naruto said, confusion and disbelief could be clearly seen on his face.

"Yes, I did." Shikamaru answered, obviously confused too.

Suddenly, Ino gave a nervous laugh. "Ehehe, Sakura? Is something wrong with you? Why didn't you punch the pervert's ugly face?"

"Why would I?" It was Sakura' s turn to be confused. Apparently, she didn't hear the 'number two' from him that's why she wasn't affected at all. "Sakura-chan, are you sick?" Hinata came this time.

"No! I'm perfectly fine! What's wrong with you all? Why are you giving me such faces?" She raised a brow.

"Sakura, I know. Do you want to shop? I'll treat you anywhere you want to go. We'll leave the boys. Right, Hinata, Tenten?" Ino suggested and the two mentioned girls nodded while Naruto pouted. "Umm, I have something really important do when I get home. Sorry." Sakura suddenly became sweaty as if she was nervous.

"I see, next time then. What are you going to do though? Study? The exams are still far away and I believe that you can beat Sasuke." Ino reassured knowing that it will cheer Sakura up but the pink-haired girl still refused.

"It's not something academic." She said and started to fix her things quickly, readying herself to go out immediately in case the others ask more from her.

"What then?" Tenten asked but Sakura anticipated this so she quickly grabbed her things and went out. "Gotta run, sorry!" She waved while the others only exchanged worried looks.

"I'll follow." Sasuke volunteered and went out to follow her.

Meanwhile, Sakura was running but she didn't know why. _"I can't tell them," _she thought and went straight to the gate to wait for her aunt. "Sakura!" She heard Sasuke call. _"Oh no!" _

She pretended that she didn't hear him and started walking out of the school, wishing that Sasuke would not follow her but before she could take three steps, Sasuke already caught her. He was sweaty, maybe from running, but not tired since he wasn't catching his breath.

"What's wrong with you?" He took a deep breath and composed himself. Sakura, pretending to be oblivious about what he was saying just said that nothing's wrong with her but of course, Sasuke's instincts were always right so he pushed a little more.

"Sakura, I am not stupid." He raised a brow, still not letting go of her wrist. "Thanks but really, there is nothing wrong with me. Like I said, I am perfectly fine! I just didn't have a good sleep last night, that's all," she insisted but she could see that the Uchiha will not let her go without getting the information he wanted.

"The whole day Sakura, you didn't even challenge me on anything. You were quite gloomy and careless. Not hyperactive and you looked disturbed. Now tell me nothing's wrong," he reasoned.

"Were you watching me the whole day?" She asked, curious but with no teasing or hope in her voice like any other girl would sound to Sasuke. He answered a plain 'yes' and she frowned. "I see," she looked down.

"What's wrong?" He asked again but this time, in a more comforting and friendly tone. "Really Sasuke, I'm fine. This is something that doesn't concern you or anyone but me. Thanks anyway. Tell the others there's nothing to worry about." Silence surrounded them then. She said she was fine but he knew that she isn't and he didn't want to push her on something she didn't want to talk about. After a minute, they heard a car beeping.

He noted the look in Sakura's eyes when she saw the car. Relief and at the same time nervousness were evident in her green orbs. "Umm Sasuke, you can let me go now. My car is here." She said and he did while she muttered a 'thanks' before going away.

Before she went inside the car, she turned to face him again with a grin on her face. He looked confused, wondering what changed her gloomy attitude so suddenly. "Uchiha!" She called. "If you are thinking that I forgot about our rivalry then you are wrong! Think of this day as a day-off but expect worse tomorrow!" She laughed evilly this time and he sighed at this, thankful that she has returned to her usual self. He smirked. "Don't expect me to go easy on you Sakura! As if you would win against me," he taunted and she grinned even more.

"Count me in Sasuke! I'm not giving up!" She yelled and went inside the car.

"Really Sakura, girls like you… I do not know what to do with you.." He smirked his signature smirk again, a smirk that only he could do and went back to the classroom. She should be ready though because Sasuke wasn't letting the day pass without knowing what was wrong.

* * *

"You look gorgeous Sakura!" Her auntie clasped her hands with a glittery look on her eyes. Sakura just smiled at this and checked herself on the mirror for the umpteenth time that night.

"Really auntie, thank you for this. Don't tell mom about this ok? Or dad, especially grandpa." She looked worried all of sudden though she was only half aware about their conversation since her eyes were glued on the mirror. For the first time, she adored herself and agreed that she did look gorgeous with that pink spaghetti strap dress that matched her hair color. The dress wrapped around her body, showing off her curves as if the dress was only made for her. There was a white ribbon around her waist, a design that really matched the simple pink dress which reached an inch below her knees.

She smiled at herself again, more satisfied than ever. Simple, but elegant was the best description. She also wore a headband with jewels in it. A simple necklace and earrings, high-heels and a beautiful silver rectangular pouch matched her outfit as well.

"I promise dear. You know that all I want for you is to be happy. I do not want dad to do this to you as much as you dislike it as well." Her auntie assured her.

"Now, now. Let's go. You might not want Gaara to be waiting." Sakura's aunt pulled her slightly out of her room, down the stairs then outside the house. They both rode their black car and went to a really elegant restaurant where she was about to meet her old friend Gaara.

When they arrived at their destination, Sakura began to get nervous again. The whole day, she was thinking about this. It was the reason of her worry and nervousness.

Last night, she asked her aunt for help. She wanted to meet different guys, whether an old friend or not, that would _match_ her grandfather's expectations. The first guy her aunt recommended was Gaara whose family was also the Haruno's friends. Gaara agreed to this _meeting_, saying that he doesn't have much to do.

Honestly, Sakura was not nervous because she was worrying that she might do something funny or that she would be disliked. She was worrying because she was COMPLETELY uneducated and ignorant about this kind of things. It wasn't considered a date, her aunt who was aware of Sakura's obliviousness once said, that's why she didn't have to prepare mentally or anything.

"_Sakura dear, this is like any other business meeting you have gone to." _Sakura remembered her auntie tell her. She sighed after her auntie hugged her and wished her good luck. She went out of the car with a determined look on her face. She was planning on surviving this, her first _business meeting_ with a guy.

"_Yes, business. It's all about business." _She convinced herself, walking gracefully as if she was dancing to the front door of the restaurant where a waiter maybe, was waiting.

She walked in, completely unaware of the attention she was getting. Maybe she really did look that wonderful and gorgeous.

"I have a reservation." She told the receptionist and nodded afterwards. "Yes, with Gaara-san," she said and a waiter led her to her seat. Finally, she spotted Gaara with his usual formal clothes. _"Business. Not like any other omiai's (a Japanese custom whereby unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage) which grandfather wants me to attend."_

When she reached their table, Gaara stood up to meet her with a warm smile on his face. "Good to see you Sakura! You look wonderful." Gaara greeted and was a bit surprised at his companion's gesture. "Huh?" He was confused at first and nearly laughed after.

Sakura extended her arm, waiting for Gaara to shake her hand. He did so but still laughed at this. He was expecting a kiss on the cheek or a friendly hug, maybe: a usual greeting for friends who haven't seen each other in a while.

"Sakura, there's no need for too much formalities. We are not an acquaintance of each other, we're friends." He chuckled in a cute way and pulled Sakura's chair for her, gesturing her to sit down. She smiled at him and muttered a 'thank you' while he sat on his own chair.

"Sorry 'bout that." She laughed nervously, muttering a thank you to a waiter afterwards who handed them the menu for drinks. "It's not like we're here for business or something. Not an omiai too." He smiled again but it only made her confused.

"Huh? Not business?" She asked, unmindful, but he laughed again. "I see, you haven't changed Sakura," he said and continued his sentence after seeing the look on Sakura's face. "Never mind what I said then." He told her while taking a quick glance at the menu and Sakura let go of what he said.

He remembered, when they were still young, he once confessed his love for her. Much to his surprise and gratitude, she said that she liked him too.

"_I really like you too Gaara! You're very different from anyone I have met before especially from the arrogant Uchiha. You're really kind to me." _–Those were Sakura's words and Gaara can clearly remember all of those.

He was happy that she liked him too, only to regret his confession after realizing that their perspective when it comes to 'like and love' were completely different. She didn't mean like as something romantic and surely, she didn't take his confession as something romantic as well. After that, he never took the liberty of confessing to her again.

So you see, like anyone else, he was aware of her denseness. He nearly laughed at the thought.

"If you don't mind Sakura, I already organized our meal for tonight to lessen the hassle of ordering."

"I don't mind. Anything would do." She said and he nodded. While they waited for their food, they talked for a while, asking if one is fine and things like that. They also did some 'catching up' for the months when they haven't seen each other.

"I'm sorry about this Gaara. I hope I am not wasting your time or anything." She apologized, disturbed that he might have some other important things to do.

"Not at all Sakura, I am completely okay with this. My schedule isn't busy at all and besides, my school will start tomorrow so I'm fine." He assured and she was glad. She thanked him again.

When their food arrived, they ate while maintaining their conversation.

"By the way Sakura, what was it that you want to talk about? I was actually surprised when your aunt called and asked me to have a casual dinner with you. Why didn't you call me instead?" He asked.

"Umm, actually I was really busy so I asked auntie to call you instead." She lied and he nodded.

"Is there something important you want to talk about? This is unusual." He smiled at her again and she wondered why like Sasuke, Gaara always kept calm and quite happy. Maybe the happy part was unlike Sasuke since she always thought of him as grumpy. She laughed inside her, imagining the grumpy look on Sasuke's face. But wait, this isn't the time to think about that.

How would she tell him? Would this be okay: 'I was hoping if you want to do business with me. You know, be my boyfriend and save my life. Maybe we could work it out in some ways because if it was you, it would become easier than getting engaged to a stranger.'? Certainly not.

"Well, there is, actually. Umm, Gaara. You know my grandfather and-" She was cut off when she suddenly felt a familiar _evil aura_ from somewhere close to her. Sakura instincts.

"Sakura," she heard a very familiar voice. Of course it was familiar; it was her rival's voice. She turned around and regretted after, for she saw something very unusual in him: the look on his face. It was something she saw only once when they were young. It was something that she started hated seeing after she saw it for the first time. He looked as if he was in deep agony or something, as if something caused him to be that angry.

"Sasuke?" She absentmindedly said but afterwards, she realized that it was really Sasuke, seeing her there with Gaara. He found out! "Sasuke!" She stood up after realizing and shock was evident on her face. _"NO!" _She screamed inside. "Why are you here?" She asked with panic in her voice.

"You made us all worried because you were acting strange and now, I can see why you were so nervous when we asked you about your plans!" He was really mad, as if the devil Sasuke that everyone but Sakura feared was coming out now.

"Relax, Sasuke. It's me. What are you so angry about?" Gaara stood up and greeted the frowning Sasuke with a huge smile. "Are you dating this guy?" Sasuke curled his fists, readying himself to punch Gaara.

"Sasuke, it's not what you think it is! Calm down!" Sakura got irritated at Sasuke's over reaction. Over, over reaction.

"I wasn't planning on snatching Sakura, whom I think is your girlfriend, away from you, Sasuke. I'm an old friend, we were just talking and doing some business." Gaara winked at Sakura and kept his cool. She wondered how he could do that in front of the devil Sasuke, as she would call him, when he was in his sort of berserk mode.

The _evil aura_ wasn't planning on going away and they were already getting too much attention from the crowd. Suddenly, a brave waiter went to them to ask what was wrong but Sakura said they were fine. The mighty waiter insisted that something was wrong so Sasuke faced him and said, "don't interfere!" So maybe, the waiter wasn't really brave for he ran away, obviously scared at Sasuke.

To the Uchiha, he didn't care whether it was an old friend or not. He wouldn't let anyone touch Sakura.

Sakura sighed at Sasuke who was about to punch Gaara so she did what was best. "Aw." Sasuke flinched at the pain. Unfortunately, Sakura punched him right on his jaw. "Sakura, be more of a girl, please." He said, sounding still angry.

"I'm sorry about this Gaara. I'll make up, I promise. Please send my regards to Temari and Kankuro. Sorry." Sakura bowed to apologize. Apparently, her business had to be over.

Gaara just waved, still calm. Somehow, he got used to Sasuke's behavior. He was an old friend anyway so he knew almost everything about the two.

"No worries Sakura. I had fun. I'm sorry for Sasuke though." He was clearly taunting Sasuke and the Uchiha just gave him a cold glare. Gaara laughed at this.

"I'm sorry again." She bowed. "We need to go, come on Sasuke!" She pulled Sasuke's shirt, showing no mercy despite his protests.

"Oh," Sakura turned to Gaara again. "He isn't my boyfriend Gaara. He was just overreacting for some reason." Sakura waved at Gaara while Sasuke got even angrier at what she said. She handed money to the waiter and left, still pulling Sasuke away.

"Good then." Sasuke heard Gaara say before they left and he promised that once he sees the red-head again, he wouldn't hold on anymore.

When they reached outside, it was already raining. Good thing, there was a place for them to stay so they wouldn't get wet.

"You can let go now, I wouldn't be able to kill him anymore." Sasuke sighed but Sakura just tightened the grip on his shirt. Suddenly, she yelled, making him surprised. "What were you thinking Sasuke?"

"Well, I happen to pass by and-" He wasn't finished talking yet and she yelled again. "You were overreacting!!"

He couldn't speak for a while. He was waiting for her to calm down a little. Surely, she did sigh after a few minutes. "Can we talk now? Properly?" He raised a brow while she nodded, sighing again and letting go of his shirt. They were quiet, no one spoke.

"What the hell were you doing there with Gaara?? To think that we were all worrying because you were acting weird!" He shouted at her this time, she was surprised. She thought he wanted a calm talk?

"Like I said, this doesn't concern anyone else but me." She closed her eyes and listened to the rain. "When it's your concern it's also _my_ concern since you're-" He trailed off and revised his sentence. "It's also _our_ concern because we're you're-" He stopped again. Somehow, it seemed hard for him to tell the word 'friend' since she was more than that to him.

"Friends." He narrowed his eyes for her face turned blank, making it hard for him to speculate her reactions. After a short pause, she grabbed her cellphone inside her silver pouch.

"Friends can hide something too Sasuke. There are things you must know, things you may know and things that I can't tell you. I'm calling my car." Somehow, it was easier for her to say the word friend in front of him and it pissed him even more. It doesn't make him sad to the point that he would sulk in one corner, it just annoys him.

"So you are hiding something?" He raised a brow while Sakura covered her mouth suddenly, after realizing what she had said.

"I.. It was just a figure of speech. It doesn't necessarily mean I was hiding something." She struggled for words but Sasuke smirked.

"You are hiding something. Speak up, Sakura." He walked near her as she stepped back away from him. "No, I'm not." She suddenly became nervous.

"Tell me what you're keeping," he urged, still with a smirk. "No, it's none of your business." She said defensibly and he noted that she really wasn't going to speak so he thought of a more effective way.

"How about a little challenge Sakura? If you win, you'll tell me what you are hiding from us. If I win, I leave it as it is. No more asking about it." He said with arrogance in his voice. Sakura sweated, not sure about the whole idea. "Come on, Sakura. Don't tell me you're not going to accept my challenge. Backing out also means accepting defeat." He mocked and it angered her. "I know!" She shouted and he smirked, again.

"..but, If you win, I cannot tell you everything. It's really something none should know." She stared at him with hopeful eyes, hoping that he would allow it, if ever he wins. "Sure," he answered plainly and it made her energetic again.

"What's the challenge Uchiha? I'm ready for anything!" Her eyes were abruptly filled with passion and enthusiasm. Surely, she loves challenges.

"Do you see the tree over there?" He pointed a huge tree, about 500meters away from them. They couldn't be sure what kind of tree it was because it was already dark and it was hard to tell from the rain. Sakura nodded as a response for his question.

"Let's race. Whoever gets there first wins." He smirked after looking at her from head to toe. She was wearing a high-heeled shoes and a quite long dress! She looked anxious all of a sudden but after a fraction of a second, her anxious face turned into an excited one.

"I'm on it!" She couldn't back out now. That's the last things she would do. "Give me a minute, please?" She asked and he allowed it. She was searching for something inside her tiny purse and when he became impatient, he finally asked what she was looking.

"Something sharp," she answered.

"Would this be enough?" He pulled a key with a keychain that was a bit sharp from his pocket. "That would be fine," she grabbed the key and started ripping the below of her dress. He gasped.

"What are you doing?" He stared at her in disbelief. "You're ripping your dress!" He said but she ignored him. When her dress was about 4 inches above her knee, she smiled, looking satisfied. She removed her high heels and placed her two hands on her waist.

"I'm ready!" She sounded excited again and he only stared at her in disbelief. "What? The fight should be fair! I couldn't run in my dress and those high heels."

"Fine," Sasuke smirked _his _own again. "Ready, Sakura? Make sure not to fall." He teased but she just grinned.

"Ready when you are Sasuke." Both of them positioned themselves in a running stance. "_This is certainly a perfect time to beat Sasuke,"_ she thought and chuckled evilly.

"Go!" Sasuke half-shouted, and quickly, the two ran their fastest. The target wasn't far. In just a few steps, you would be there.

Just after she reached half her way to the finish line, Sasuke was already there. He was standing, with his arms crossed, smirking and filled with arrogance. He was drenched because of the rain, just like her and she only stared at him in disbelief.

"You're a monster!" She shouted at him, surely annoyed. She sighed afterwards.

"Do I get to hear you out now?" He smirked again, none of them cared whether they were dripping wet already.

"Yes, but as promised, not all." She exhaled and closed her eyes. He waited patiently and soon enough, she started talking. "You know my grandfather very well. He wanted me to do something. That something, I cannot tell. I don't care if you try to get it out from me. Try as hard as you can but I will not tell you." She paused while he listened. "I didn't want to do that something so I was trying to find a way to get out from it. I thought that Gaara can help me and that was the business that we were talking about. That's all I can say. For now." She frowned and he did too. He actually didn't get anything but he was a little glad that he got a clue.

"That's enough for me. Now, look at you." He looked at her, finding himself smirking again. "What?" She asked, pissed.

"I feel sorry for your dress, though I like the improvements." He smirked. She eyed the remaining cloth left on her dress and blushed. The rain was a plus so she looked, well, she couldn't explain but her look made him smirk that way. "Pervert!" She told him and he just laughed.

"You need to go home, you might get sick. You're wet." He ignored her comment a while ago and removed his shirt, making her blush again. Well, seeing him shirtless was something she will find hard getting used to. _"What is he doing?" _she panicked inside her and blushed even more at the shirtless Sasuke in front of her.

Maybe, after seeing this, she would take back the _devil _description a while ago. _"Dark angel would suit him better._" Her subconscious commented.

"Here," he handed her the shirt.

"What's this? " She gave a confused look.

"Do you think I would allow you to go back there with that," he paused. "With that look."

"Oh," she said and put the shirt on. "Thanks but you should go home too. You might get sick Sasuke." She was concerned now. No more rivalry, no more challenges at this moment. She was just a friend, caring. He nodded. "Let's go." Sasuke said while the two of them went back to the outside hall of the restaurant.

Sakura's car was there already. She went home and thanked Sasuke. "Thanks but don't be too proud Sasuke! I'll definitely beat you next time!"

He smirked and went home too.

* * *

"Naruto, where's Sasuke?" Sakura asked when she arrived at school. She was carrying a paper bag where Sasuke's shirt was placed.

"I called his house a while ago since he wasn't answering. Their maid said he is sick so he cannot go to school. Why?" Naruto answered and Sakura said that she just wanted to talk to him.

"You should visit him," Naruto grinned sheepishly. He looked around, thankful that Ino was still not around. He was sure that Ino would not let Sakura go alone to Sasuke's house. Ino is just as 'over reacting' as Sasuke.

"That would make him happy." The bored Shikamaru suddenly felt like joining the conversation. He was grinning too. "That would make him happy? Why?" Sakura asked again, confused and unmindful as usual.

"You know, he's sick and he's alone at home. Maybe a companion would make him happy." The grin on Naruto's face was still not going away. Obviously, he was lying to her.

"Yeah, maybe I should." She smiled too, not getting the idea on Naruto and Shikamaru's mind.

"_After all, I was the reason why he was sick. He let me borrow his shirt." _She thought.

* * *

The doorbell rang. Sakura waited while someone answers the huge gates of the Uchiha mansion. _"I haven't been here for a long time." _She scanned the huge house with disbelief. _"It gets bigger everytime I see it, I wonder why." _

"Ah, good to see you again Sakura!!" A familiar man came out from the house. "Itachi!" Sakura beamed and gave Itachi a hug while the older Uchiha smiled and returned the embrace.

"How have you been?" He asked and told her to come in. "I've never been this good!" She said.

"Good then. Oh, are you here to visit Sasuke?" He asked and offered her for something to eat or drink.

"Thanks Itachi, I'm fine. I just ate. Yup, Naruto said he's sick. What did the doctor say?" She asked. "You're good as ever Naruto." He muttered lowly in his breath, commenting on what Sakura said. She gave a confused look but he just shook it off.

"He has colds and slight fever. The doctor said besides the rain that probably caused him to get the colds, he might be over working himself. You know, dad sometimes asks us to do little work which I don't think was little after all." He smiled.

"I see."

"Umm, Sakura, can I ask you a favor?" Itachi said, almost apologetic.

"Of course Itachi! Anything from me!" She said with excitement again, as usual, and he smiled at this. "I'm glad," Itachi started. "Well, Sasuke doesn't like being taken care of, you know that.. but he's sick. I'm badly needed in the company right now and well, I was thinking that Sasuke wouldn't probably mind if it was you." He grinned.

"Eh? You want me to take care of him?"

"If you don't mind. You know, if he doesn't get well soon, you will not have anyone to challenge." He laughed inwardly. Sakura, of course was thrilled with the word challenge coming up so she quickly agreed with Itachi.

"I don't mind!"

"You're the best Sakura!" Itachi kissed her on the forehead and went out of their home.

She sighed and went upstairs to Sasuke's room. She knocked thrice but no one answered. "Oh," she laughed when she remembered that he was sick. She knocked again, softer this time so that if he's asleep, she won't wake him up. "Sasuke! It's me." Sakura leaned on the door to listen to any faint answers from him but then, she heard nothing.

"I'm coming in, ok?" She opened the door slowly and peeked. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Sasuke's sleeping face. She entered then and kneeled down on the floor just next to his bed. He was always a light sleeper so he opened his eyes very slowly as if he was really really tired.

"Good afternoon Sasuke." Sakura smiled at him. "Sakura?" He muttered faintly and Sakura frowned at this. Seeing Sasuke this restless is just so wrong.

"_I can't stand this. We can't battle if he's like this. I better make sure that I'll never leave this house until he's healthy again and back to normal! After that, I'll make up for my loss last night!" _She thought, determined as usual.

"Yup, it's me."

He attempted to sit but it took a lot more strength than he imagined. "Hey!" He heard Sakura protest at his attempt but he still tried anyway. After a few seconds, he was successful. "Why are you here?" He looked at her, face red and eyes a little tired. His voice wasn't any better as well. He coughed afterwards.

"Uchiha, have you been tiring yourself again?" She put her hands on her waist and half-yelled at him like a mother who just saw her child dirty after going to the playground. He stared at her blankly as if he didn't hear what she told him. She sighed at this and held him with her one hand on his back and the other on his shoulder. She pushed him lightly so he would lie down again and much to her surprise, he was obedient. Still, he didn't let his eyes look at anywhere besides Sakura. She grabbed a chair and sat beside his bed.

"I'm sorry." She was frowning and he saw this. She looked as if she committed a big crime. "What for?" He managed to say and she frowned even more.

"Come on, I know I was one of the reasons why you got sick." She was guilty, obviously, but he didn't get it. Well, he never thought that it was her fault.

"Last night, it was raining and you got wet. You even gave me your shirt. Well, I don't like seeing you like this." She looked down.

"Oh," he muttered and smirked. "Well, you could take care of me if you want. I'm alone anyway."

"You're sick and you still have the guts to joke!"

"I wasn't joking. You told me you didn't want to see me sick." He coughed again. For some reason, she felt that he was really suffering so she sighed again and stood up. "It's almost dinner time," she said.

"What do you want to eat, master?" She sounded sarcastic, and she really was. He shook his head saying that he wanted nothing. "You have to eat!" This time though, she sounded as if she was pleading him to eat. He shook his head again and closed his eyes, opening it when he saw her go out from his room.

"_Will she go home? I knew it." _He frowned as if he was betrayed and closed his eyes again.

After a few minutes, she returned to his room with a basin filled with water and ice and a small towel. He seemed to have fallen asleep.

He flinched from the sudden cold he felt on his forehead. He forced his eyes to open again and he was a little surprised after seeing Sakura, still there and well, taking care for him. "This is the only thing I can do to repay for causing your sickness. Well, whether you like it or not, you're going to eat. I'm making you a tomato soup. While I'm making it, just sleep and rest. I'll be here in a while." She smiled, knowing what his favorite was, and went out of the room, not even giving him a chance to speak. He just smiled a bit, and closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.

_

* * *

_

"_I can't believe I'm doing this," _she thought to herself as she went upstairs to his room again. When she was in his door, she took a deep breath before entering.

"Wake up sleepy head," she laughed slightly and sat on the chair beside his bed, carrying the tray with the soup she made, a glass of water and some medicine.

Sasuke opened his eyes in an instant, trying to manage to sit up again.

"Here," he heard her say with cheerfulness in her voice but he only stared at the tray she was giving him. "Why? You don't like it?" Sakura's curved lip turned into a straight one. He shook his head again and she nearly threw him the tray after realizing what he wanted.

"_You want me to feed you, you asshole?" _She nearly blurted out but kept to herself anyway. _"Patience Sakura," _she convinced herself.

"You want me to-" She didn't finish her sentence but he nodded immediately with face as innocent as a child. It was cute to her in some way so she couldn't do anything about it.

"Here." She blew the hot soup and fed the sick Sasuke. While she fed him, she suddenly felt like this was the right time to talk to him about what she saw last night. "Umm, Sasuke," she started. He looked at her and she knew that he wanted her to continue so she did.

"Last night," she hesitated but the look in his face kind of forced her to continue. "Was I the reason why you had a weird look on your face?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"I mean, when you saw me with Gaara…you looked like you were really.. um, mad that your expression turned very different." Sakura was surprised at why she was having a hard time telling it to him. Sasuke on the other hand had veins popping out on his head. He was, it's hard to tell, but he was kind of annoyed at the obliviousness his kind friend here is showing. Well, he should get used to the 'friend'.

"Yes," he told her, his eyebrows twitching.

"Why?" Sakura responded, her eyes were filled with curiosity and at the same time, regret. She waited but he didn't answer. He just closed his eyes and if he hadn't answered her with a 'yes' a while ago, she would think that he was sleeping already.

Since he didn't look like he was answering, she just asked the question herself. "Don't you like it when you see me with him?" She was a little shy for some reason at asking this but of course, she wanted to clear the thing that has been bugging her.

Finally, he opened his eyes. "Yeah," He looked at her green eyes which were filled with different emotions. It wasn't hard to see it.

"Well," She smiled at him. "I won't do anything that would make you feel that way again Sasuke. Even if that means not seeing Gaara alone anymore. Maybe you could just come with me next time." She chuckled at the thought. Gaara, Sakura and Sasuke. Not a good idea.

"I don't want to see you make such a face again, please." She smiled at the truth of her own words and Sasuke couldn't help but smile and be happy at this too. He looked down; shy at the sudden affection he was showing and hid his eyes with his hair. He was happy, he really was. Somehow, knowing this makes him feel all better.

"Sasuke! You're smiling!" Sakura gasped and covered her mouth. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"What's wrong with that?"

"You! I've never seen you smile. Once maybe, but it's so rare! You always show me that arrogant smirk of yours! I'm happy, Sasuke!" Sasuke blushed a little and looked away, not that he wasn't red already because he was sick. She laughed to herself and gave him his last spoonful of soup. After that, she let him drink his medicine, still _spoiling_ him.

"Thanks," Sasuke muttered and received a 'no problem' from Sakura. A few minutes later, one of their maids went to Sasuke's room to get the tray Sakura brought up.

"Oh no!" Sakura said and stood up from her seat. "Sasuke, I need to-" She was cut off when he grabbed her wrist. Even his hold was faint, as if he used so much effort just to grab her. "Don't go." He sounded almost like he was begging for her not to and Sakura got worried. "But-" She paused. Seeing Sasuke's face like that, almost panting as if he was tired, red and sweaty, made her think.

"Please, Sakura. Don't go." The Uchiha pleaded in a low voice. "Stay with me."

They stared at each other for a few seconds as if they were talking using their eyes. He was asking her to stay, and even in his eyes, it was evident. Soon, she placed the back of her palm on his forehead then sighed after feeling that he was still hot. From his forehead, she touched his cheek and smiled warmly at him, making him blush again. Good thing was he was already red.

"I'll stay. If that will make you happy and relieved."

"Thank you, Sakura." He smiled again. To Sakura, his smile was like a rare treasure she found while to Sasuke, his smile was only for Sakura. A rare treasure that was only meant to be found by her.

She beamed at what she saw again. _"I'm happy that you're happy."_ She thought and glanced at the clock again. "You need to change your shirt Sasuke, you're sweaty. Can you stand up?" She asked but he shook his head again. Was he bluffing? Well, after all, Sasuke was wise.

"Eh? Well," Sakura just went to his closet and grabbed a plain dark blue shirt.

"Here," she handed Sasuke the shirt but even after he got it, he didn't move.

"Sasuke, I'm not your mommy." She crossed her arms in front of her and raised a brow at him. He looked at her with his innocent and pleading eyes again and it didn't fail him to get what he wanted. "Fine," she stomped her way on his side and helped him remove his shirt.

She blushed at the sight before her again, just like last night. Still, her mind has no plans on changing its comment: His perfection is still something hard to get used to. _"A dark angel?" _All of a sudden, here was her subconscious again. She blushed even more and hurriedly put his shirt on him, forgetting that he was sick.

"Ouch, Sakura." He ran a hand through his hair and she only laughed nervously at this.

"Sorry, sorry." She took a deep breath and composed herself. "Sasuke, you need to sleep now so you can attend school tomorrow." She tucked him on his bed and placed a cold towel on his head.

"No."

"Come on, don't be stubborn. Just sleep, rest and be healthy again."

"No. If I wake up, you might not be here anymore. I want to stay awake." He looked away again, not seeing Sakura's shocked face.

"Idiot!" She yelled and punched him on his shoulder. "Aw!"

She sighed afterwards, and sat down on the chair. "Here." She reached for his hand and held it with her two hands. "I won't be going anywhere until you're fine and healthy again. I promise that, so just rest please." She smiled at him and all of a sudden, he drifted to his peaceful slumber.

**_to be continued…_**

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* * *

_**

Oh, that was long. This was the longest chapter I have made. Anyway, I'm afraid that you weren't able to get some ideas so if you're confused, just ask me!

Reviews please.


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